Lower Manhattan Thriving In Wake Of 9/11 Attacks

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Seventeen years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, lower Manhattan is not yet completely re-built, but it's getting close.

According to the Alliance for Downtown New York, three times as many people now call it home than back in 2001. Three World Trade Center was opened for business in June. Its tenants so far: GroupM and McKinsey & Company.

"They represent 6,000 new jobs," said Jessica Lappin, the president of Alliance For Downtown New York.

The view of the twin reflecting pools down below from the 17th floor terrace is a gentle reminder of why some of the development in the area has taken 17 years.

"It has to be done right and I get it. It takes a while to do," said Marisa Latham, who works in the building. "I was here when it happened, so I'm glad there's been a rebirth and a renaissance."

There's still some construction going on in the back of the building and it's not fully leased, but its progress.

"This was a big piece of the puzzle," Lappin told CBS2's Alice Gainer. "We're not done yet."

Three World Trade Center joins the other puzzle pieces of this campus, including the already completed One World Trade, 7 World Trade and 4 World Trade.

"There's so many people coming in and out -- that's good to see," Lappin added. "Just in the last year alone we had 100 new shops and restaurants open in the area."

The shops and subway lines at the Oculus building have helped increase foot traffic. And on Saturday, the Cortland Street subway station servicing the 1 line re-opened for the first time since it was destroyed on 9/11.

While many of the buildings are now up and running there are a couple on site that still need to be built like site number two.

Brightly painted murals surround the vacant land known as site two as it awaits construction. An arts center is being built across from two, and is slated to open in 2021.

Site five also sits vacant.

"Five was the Deutsche Bank site and it was tied up in litigation for many years until somewhat recently," Lappin explained. "It's a reminder that as far as we've come we still have some work to do."

There's more work to do, but a lot of it is done and appreciated by the many people now choosing to live, work and hang out here.

"You'll see people coming across the memorial who clearly live here pushing baby carriages or eating lunch. I think that's a nice way for us to really honor what happened here by making it a part of the fabric of our daily lives," Lappin said.

Moving forward, but never forgetting.